Blair and Mandelson pay tribute to the RUC

The British Prime Minister and the Northern Secretary have paid tribute to the role of the RUC. The police force was today presented with Britain's highest civilian award for bravery, the George Cross medal, by Queen Elizabeth. Mr Blair said that the award was totally deserved in view of what had happened during the troubles of the past thirty years. Mr Blair also suggested that proposals to cut the RUC's numbers, as outlined in the Patten Report, may not be implemented until the security situation in the North improved.

Queen Elizabeth presented the medal to the force at a ceremony in Hillsborough Castle attended by RUC members and their families. Sinn Fein, however, criticised the award as a gross insult. This honour was one of the proudest moments for the RUC since the foundation of the force in 1922. It also came at a time of uncertainty over its future, as the British government prepared to implement the Patten Report. The report recommended substantial changes in the force, including a new name and symbols to make it more acceptable to Nationalists.

The George Cross was presented in recognition of the losses suffered by the RUC, 302 of whom have been killed and over 8,000 injured during the troubles. Constable Paul Slaine, who lost both legs in an IRA rocket attack in Newry in which a female colleague died, accepted the award from Queen Elizabeth. Janice O'Reilly, the widow of the last RUC member to be killed, was among the 1500 guests at the ceremony. Other guests included the Garda Commissioner Pat Byrne, former RUC Chief Constables, the Catholic Primate, Archbishop Brady, and other church leaders.

In her address, Queen Elizabeth paid tribute to the gallantry and courage shown by the RUC. Sinn Féin, however, challenged the record of the RUC, describing the award as an insult. A group of people whose relatives had been killed by the security forces staged a protest at Belfast City Hall.